Low
Low is the second single from Kelly Clarkson's debut album Thankful. It was released on August 3, 2003. In the United Kingdom, the song was released as a double A-side single along with The Trouble with Love Is. The song is notable for being the first single that Kelly explores pop-rock music that would later define her career in songs such as Breakaway and Since U Been Gone. It received favorable reviews from music critics who complimented her vocals and the song's lyrics. On March 5, 2013, Billboard ranked the song at number 87 in its list of "Top 100 American Idol Hits of All Time." Song Background After some encouragement from friends, Jimmy Harry (the songwriter of "Low") asked singer-songwriter Danielle Brisebois to sing the demo and offered it to Britney and Kylie, but "it really wasn’t a good fit for what they were doing," according to her. The song eventually found its way to Kelly, which initially filled Jimmy with apprehension. He admits: "I was a bit conflicted about Kelly doing the song. Mostly because it seemed like they were going for a Celine Dion/Mariah Carey sort of vibe with her and I wasn’t sure how it was going to make sense with what I had heard from the rest of the record. I liked the version she cut a lot. I was expecting it to be a bit more pop than the way Clif Magness produced it." After reaching number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with "Miss Independent," Kelly wasn't immediately convinced that "Low" should be a single. Other contenders and possible third singles, were "Just Missed the Train," "The Trouble with Love Is" and "You Thought Wrong," a duet with Tamyra Gray. Eventually, "Low" was released as the second single on August 3, 2003 and in the United Kingdom, the song was released as a double A-side single with "The Trouble With Love Is". Jimmy Harry was surprised when the song was chosen to be a single, saying: "I think it was a big leap of faith to segue from ‘Miss Independent’ to ‘Low’ because the production and lyrical content were so different,' he continues. I was really surprised when I learned it was going to be the second single. I knew it was a great song. I’m happy it saw the light of day." Song Composition "Low" was written by Jimmy Harry and produced by Cliff Magness, who also arranged and engineered the track. The midtempo pop rock and country-flavored track finds the singer reflecting on a broken relationship. "It's cool you didn't want me/ Sometimes you can't go back/ But why'd you have to go and make a mess like that?" she sings before asking in the chorus: "Have you ever been low? Have you ever had a friend that let you down?" Harry has said that it "was a really personal song for me. I wrote it and wasn’t quite sure what to do with it because it was a pretty brutal lyric and I felt it wasn’t something a lot of pop artists would want to do." Music Video The accompanying music video was directed by Antti Jokinen, who also directed Kelly's "A Moment Like This" and "Before Your Love" videos. Jokinen explained that he wanted her "to rock and kick ass a little bit more than she normally does." He also added that "I listened to the lyrics and there were elements of lost love and feeling low, and there are some scenes directly from that, however they are portrayed in more metaphoric terms." About the video' storyline, J. said: "I had 'Thelma & Louise' in mind, but I don't think we wanted her to drive over the cliff." "I already thought it was kind of risky, because it shows such a different attitude than she normally portrays. She pulled it off and it was more about fun. It's more tongue-in-cheek than it is a serious, like, 'You messed me over and now I'm going to drive your car off a cliff.'" Video Synopsis The video opens with Kelly cruising on a desert highway in a Land Rover Series II that viewers later learn belongs to an old flame. While driving, she envisions the guy driving by and holding up his number on a piece of paper, but she sings, "No, I don't need your number." Eventually, after cutting back from footage of her performing at a drive-in theater (with psychedelic imagery on the big screen), the video shows Kelly pulling off the road near the edge of a cliff. Then, Kelly stops with the front wheels just over the edge. She gets out, emotionless and walks away, but not before kicking the bumper and sending the vehicle tumbling. Chart Performance After the success of the previous singles A Moment Like This & Miss Independent, "Low" wasn't as successful as the last two singles. In the United States, "Low" was a mediocre hit, peaking at number fifty-eight on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also yielded disappointing results on several airplay charts, including the Top 40 Tracks and the Hot 100 Airplay, but it did a little better by peaking at number fourteen on the Top 40 Mainstream. In the United Kingdom, "Low" was released as a double A-side single with "The Trouble with Love Is" where it peaked at number thirty-five. The song proved to be more successful in Australia, debuting and peaking at number 11, on November 9, 2003, and receiving a gold certification in 2004. The song was able to breakthrough on the charts in Canada, where it peaked at number two. After debuting at number fifty-eight, the song slowly began climbing up the Canadian Singles Chart. Eight weeks later, "Low" had made it into the top ten, and eleven weeks following its debut, the song reached the number two position. On March 5, 2013, Billboard ranked the song at number 87 in its list of "Top 100 American Idol Hits of All Time." Critical Reception Henry Goldblatt of Entertainment Weekly praised the vocal performance and wrote that Kelly "owns country-ish "Low". Arion Berger of Rolling Stone wrote that "the album's producers jam Clarkson into the stilettos of MTV sexpots like Faith Hill in 'Low'." Slant Magazine's editor Sal Cinquemani called it an "adult-skewed power ballad" and "overwrought". Elysa Gardner of USA Today praised Kelly's singing writing that it "can take on a sensual raspiness more evocative of blues-influenced rock artists, so that wistful but driving numbers such as 'Low' and 'Just Missed the Train' sound more authoritative than you might expect." Sputnikmusic praised "Miss Independent" and "Low", calling them "both huge singles that drove the album towards that platinum mark rather quickly." Mike Wass of Idolator praised the "surprisingly gritty" song "which introduced the songstress to a sound she would explore more fully on the criminally underrated My December." Category:Songs Category:Singles